UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told reporters on Friday in New York that the terror attacks in Paris, in which radical Muslims targeted a Jewish supermarket and a newspaper that had mocked Muhammad, were “criminality” that had nothing to do with religion.

Signing a condolence book for the victims of the terror attacks, Ban said: “this is not a country, a war against religion or between religions–it is not anything on religion or belief by somebody or some country. This is a purely unacceptable terrorist attack–criminality.”

Similarly, on Thursday, Ban told reporters at the UN that the terror attacks “should never be seen as a war of religion … for religion … or on religion.” He noted, as evidence, that one of the police killed outside the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris had himself been a Muslim.

French President François Hollande expressed similar sentiments on Friday, telling the nation: “Those who committed these acts have nothing to do with the Muslim religion.”

Ban appealed Friday for tolerance and for people to resolve differences through dialogue.